


he'd forgotten

by edgaristheoneinthehole



Series: it takes time [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1300390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgaristheoneinthehole/pseuds/edgaristheoneinthehole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shards of memories were better than nothing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	he'd forgotten

Long ago, _oh so_ long ago, Ray knew that he'd been a person, an actual being who needed food, sleep, water and _love_ but he'd forgotten what that felt like. What it felt to _live,_ how to wake up knowing that his life wasn't on repeat forever, how to smile and _feel_. Little things like that.

Maybe he didn't truly feel anything, maybe he still continued with the circle only because those five were the only things he had left. _Maybe_ he wasn't meant to live, maybe he wasn't meant to love. Hell, maybe he wasn't meant to _exist_ ; but he'd go through hell and back for people whose names he'd long since forgotten.

_(Somehow)_

* * *

Ray didn't know how he ended up standing on the foot of a mountain, everything feeling too bright and clear in his mind and, glancing at his surroundings, he was surprised to note that behind him was a village, though he had a feeling it was empty. Surrounding him were pine trees and, despite the snow on the ground, Ray didn't feel cold in his shorts. The road ahead of him led up the mountain and Ray was ready to just turn around and ignore it but a stone slab partially covered by snow a few feet away from him, right next to the road, made him too curious to do so.

 _Just a peak,_ he promised himself, already walking. It didn't take long to get to the slab and a quick swipe to get rid of the snow later, which was warm to touch and, _yes,_ Ray was aware how weird that was, Ray was able to read the text, even if slightly hazily, after a quick check to see if he was wearing glasses, Ray found himself even more confused as he _was_ wearing them, maybe he needed a new prescription?

 _'If you move up, you'll find one,'_ well, wasn't that helpful but still, what did Ray have to lose at that point? But, as he got ready to turn around, Ray paused and, in what almost felt like anger, crouched and swiped away the snow there, which revealed another part of the text.

 _'down; two, right; three, left; four, straight; five,'_ Ray swallowed, feeling like the numbers were important, even though he wasn't certain how. Still, a glance towards the first text later, he stood and started to move up the road, feeling like 'one' needed him the most.

_(I)_

* * *

The trek up the mountain wasn't all that long (it felt like it went above the clouds in the beginning but Ray assumed that was false), something that Ray found himself smiling at, like it was _characteristic_ but for what? A mountain?

He had to more than once stop, however, as the mountain had a habit of changing the way the path moved and Ray had a feeling straying from it would end up badly.

It was only around the tip, a tip that wasn't actually even touched by the snow, which seemed to stop very abruptly around halfway up the mountain, that Ray noticed what seemed to be an old tree, though he couldn't place it for the life of him, despite the fact that it felt familiar in a different way than _everything_ did. Ray had gotten a few feet away from it, feeling like _if he just stared at it enough he'd remember_ , when a voice spoke up: “Don't molest the thing.”

Turning around, Ray noticed what appeared to be a man around his age, with brown hair and eyes and wondered if anyone had made him melt without doing anything before because his insides were mush.

The man, who Ray _knew_ the name of, what was it, _what was it, whatwasit,_ moved in hand to illustrate the fact that he had meant the tree before saying: “I wasn't expecting you.”

Ray opened his mouth for the first time since he'd arrived though, weirdly enough, he surprised to note that nothing dripped out: “I feel like if it would be anyone, it would be you.”

The other man laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling and Ray _really_ wished he could place him: “Me the tree or you me?”

“Both,” Ray answered, trying to smile, _wanting_ to smile, but he couldn't quite remember the way his mouth had to move for that, something the brown-haired man frowned at.

“You're here because you're lost, aren't you?” the question was surprising, of course, but the _tone_ was the worst and Ray actually felt guilty, as though he knew why the voice sounded so defeated, which he really didn't.

“I found my way up just fine though?” he asked instead of the question on his tongue, screaming to be answered.

The stranger (no, no, that sounded wrong) sighed, a different frown decorating his mouth, a much more defensive one: “You went up, right?”

“Yes?” Ray answered after a pause, trying to remember if that was in fact true, hadn't he been walking down at some point? For how long? He truly did not know.

“Yeah, see, you're confused, that means you're lost,” Ray's new friend (still _so_ wrong) scowled, “I always get these, fuck me. I could get the 'holy shit, I know who you are, I love you ones' but _no,_ let's make Michael take the ones that have no idea who he is so he'll be in as much pain as possible. This is worse than those goddamn ragequits.”

The name was familiar, _oh so_ familiar, and Ray still couldn't quite place it, but he was too curious about other things to dwell on it for a long time: “This happens a lot?”

The man, Michael, smiled, though it wasn't exactly a pleasant one: “Five times counting you.”

“Why is five so important?” the question that had been on his mind the whole time burst out, “it's always five! Five cases of GTA V, five pictures on the wall, five deaths, five people, fiv-”

Michael cut him off, eyes narrowed, like Ray was wrong despite the fact that he'd only been stating facts: “Six.”

“Huh?”

“It's six cases, one is in the X-Box next to it, six pictures, one in the living room, six deaths, six people.”

Ray stared at the man for a long time, remembering the numbers on the slab, remembering the number six, how it all mattered, how important six had been to _them_ once upon a time: “Six; back.”

Michael paused, like he had no idea what Ray meant, which he probably didn't, Ray sure as hell didn't know and he said it: “What? Okay, dude, you lost me there.”

“If you move up, you'll find one, down; two, right; three, left; four, straight; five, back; six,” Ray tried to explain his train of thought the moment before, “the village is empty because 'six' is not there.”

“Well, yeah, but,” Michael hesitated before muttering, “fuck it, it's not like it matters, this,” he moved his hands to accent the fact that he meant the whole land around them, “is here until everyone is together.”

Ray wanted to ask who 'everyone' was but another question came first: “Am I the last?”

“I,” Michael wavered, “I don't know. I've only explained this to them, I haven't seen anyone who remembers me since before I ended up here. Maybe you are. Hell, maybe this is my test, maybe you're actually the first and I've hallucinated the others, I don't fucking know, I just know how fucking emotionally draining this shit is.”

“Michael,” the name came out instinctively and at the call, showing just how long he'd not had human contact, Michael’s head turned towards Ray from the tree instantly, Ray absolutely melted, “fuck this.”

The hug wasn't the best thing in the world, Michael was taller than Ray and the older man's elbows ended up painfully pressing against Ray's chest for a moment before they dropped, wrapping around Ray's chest, the other man's head rested on top of Ray's own. So, yeah, it wasn't the best in the world but Ray loved it.

Just like he was certain he loved Michael from a past life, but that could wait, the hug was too important to ruin with adult stuff.

_(ended up)_

* * *

When Ray woke up; the bed was cold next to him and the odd chill made him pause, as he hadn't noticed that fact before and, a look around the room later, he noted that the room was strangely spotless, it must have been a Monday then, he concluded, getting up. Getting changed the fact that the shirt he wore was too big to be his own was brought to his attention but he shrugged, thinking it was just one of the guys'.

Deciding to eat outside, he left the house and, just outside, a cab waited for him. Getting in, greeting the driver, getting a cheerful hello back, Ray let himself relax. The drive ended too fast in his mind, and the driver, with a wink, told him he'd wait.

Entering the café, Ray noted that he was the only customer and with a cry of a mental “Yes!” walked up to the counter, where the familiar worker smiled at him, giving him his drink without him even asking for it.

“I'll see you around,” Barbara then paused, “or maybe not?”

Ignoring her words Ray, after telling her goodbye, walked out and got back in the cab, where he ended his drink, but held on to the cup.

When the drive ended the driver, who was named Burnie, Ray thought, told him the same thing as Barbara, even if with a more joking tone. Ray wondered if that meant that he believed the fact that they'd meet again more or less.

Getting out of the cab, walking inside the building in front of him, a building Ray honestly couldn't explain if he tried to, he moved around the first floor until a door reading 'emergency stairs' came into his view. He almost yelled in excitement and frustration, feeling like it was important but, you know, exercise.

Somehow walking up tonnes and tonnes of flights of stairs didn't tire him, something he considered a godsend, and when a door was in front of him, at the very top, Ray opened it.

It was night-time, Ray thought, but he wasn't exactly sure, moving closer to the edge. The city was pretty from up there, that was for sure.

Ray dropped his cup and watched it fall until he saw not a speck of it,  couldn't even remember if he'd dropped anything.

Just as he moved a step closer, there seemed to be an invisible force (was it a hand?) pressing against his shoulder and, before he knew it, Ray was falling.

Closing his eyes, Ray never noticed when he stopped.

_(without you)  
_

* * *

Ray woke up with a smile on his lips.

_[Somehow I ended up without you.]_


End file.
